Dear Editor,
Freddie Kissoon’s inaccuracies in his writings know no bounds. He attacks Indians without justification. In his latest attack on Indian intellectuals, he made several assertions without an iota of evidence. And his poorly written essay is replete with factual errors. One cannot help but laugh at Freddie’s ignorance and lack of scholarly depth in analyzing socio-economic and politico phenomenon.
Freddie stated: “Guyana will explode if people like (the dynamic) Ravi Dev and Ryhaan Shah are not confronted (sic)”. He is right – the intensity of their brilliance will cause the society to explode in search of an understanding and workable solution to the serious social problems facing the nation.
Indian scholars like Shah, Dev and others are commemorating the centenary of the passing of legislation marking the end of indentureship. Freddie describes them as possessing a belief in ethnic superiority, but he offers no evidence to support this false assertion. It is a figment of Freddie’s imagination, and that is his style of writing – attack without evidence. Dev, Shah, I and other Indian scholars and community leaders believe in absolute equality for all – that is in the literature, and is consistently and repeatedly stated in our prolific writings; which are based on facts, not innuendoes, which characterize Freddie’s writings. We want all ethnic groups to have an equal space.
What is wrong with Dev telling Indians to protect their gains (made since indentureship) as a people, especially now that they are under assault by the state? When African leaders tell their supporters to protect their rights, Freddie does not describe them as racial supremacists, because he is fearful of them; but when Indians assert their rights, Freddie attacks these Indians. Burnham, Hoyte, Reid, Green, Hinds, Kwayana, Ogunseye and Eric Phillips told their supporters to protect their gains made since slavery. Granger, at last year’s emancipation observances, told Africans to protect their gains. So what is wrong if Dev and Shah similarly advise Indians?
Freddie wrote: “Black leaders did not urge Black Guyanese to do what Dev is instilling in Indians to do”. Which planet has Freddie been living in? How does he explain what happened at Agricola and Buxton on numerous occasions; and in December 1997, January 1998, March 2001, etc at the court house, Regent Street, at the Presidential Secretariat, etc.? How does Freddie describe the ranting of some African leaders against Indians?
Freddie is also inaccurate on media ownership. He claims Bharrat Jagdeo is an owner of Guyana Times, but the paper’s masthead or company registrar has no such listing.
Freddie dumped his miasmic writings on His Holiness, Swami Aksharananda – holder of one of the highest spiritual titles (lexicography) in Hinduism. Freddie’s lack of knowledge of Hinduism is profound. Freddie described SVN as a “huge Hindu school owned and operated by a Hindu priest, Aksharananda”. Firstly, Aksharananda-ji is not a priest; he is a swami. There is a difference between a priest (pandit, not priest) and a swami (who performs seva and is higher than a pandit in devotion to the lord. Scholars don’t call the Pope a priest. Freddie disrespects Swami because Swami is an intellectual and a scholar, and Freddie is not. Swami has a doctorate, and Freddie does not. SVN is owned by the community, not Swami-ji. Aksharananda-ji administers the school for the community and the board.
Freddie claims 96% of the economy is in the hands of Indians; can he please provide the source of that claim? Look at all the big companies in Guyana – few are owned by Indians. The state (PNC) controls 40% of the economy, so that means Indians cannot own 96%. Non-Indians own about a third of the economy, and with the state controlling 40%, it means that less than 25% of the economy is in the hands of Indians.
In analyzing the latest US election, Freddie wrote that “Republican Donald Trump won the presidency because of the South”. He is factually incorrect. Trump won the election primarily because of his victories in swing states in the north (far from the south). The south traditionally votes Republican – no gains there for Trump. It was his victories in the north, like in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, that took him over the top (270 electoral votes). Clearly, Freddie does not understand or know American politics. As Guyanese told me in a recent survey I conducted, “Freddie is a duncey and is jealous of the progress of Indians”.
Freddie needs to return to school to learn basics on every social science phenomenon.
Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
